My #1 tip for effectively scaling a design department

What is the secret to effectively scaling a design department?

DesignOps.

4 of our 21 team members are DesignOps.

What do DesignOps staff do?
→ Field and review requests from clients and internal stakeholders
→ Connect available designers with tasks and manage timelines
→ Coordinate stakeholder kickoff calls and reviews
→ Manage vendor relationships
→ Manage freelancer invoices
→ Assist with staff onboarding — full-time and freelance — and smoothly embed new designers in our workflows

Why do we have so many DesignOps staff members?
→ Our department is responsible for the creative services of studioID, Industry Dive’s global content studio.
→ In 2021, we completed 850+ content marketing design projects. We are on track to ship even more in 2022.
→ We work with dozens of client and internal teams each year.

How have DesignOps staff helped your company?